Sunday 09.09.07, The Fribourg cantonal police arrested André Fürst

For the last few months, Chanvre Info has been cultivating/managing a hemp field for the production of seeds, hemp schnapps and essential oil, all three being strictly legal products. Without warning the police sequestered the storage hall, blocked the access to the field and later arrested owner André Fürst.

The pretext used is unacceptable. André Fürst never received a direction from the cantonal judge Markus Jumly to send a harvest-announcing letter. Chanvre-Info will start harvesting on 17th September.

Andre Fürst said, "Before, we just maintain the field by taking out the mouldy, male, hermaphrodite or sick plants. The police found exactly these spoilt crops in the truck on the field and in the storage hall during their first raid on Saturday evening.

This field is officially licensed; the authorities could stop Chanvre-Info funding to grow and protect it for a long time if they have a legal argument to do so."

The Federal narcotic law has not been revised. The popular initiative for hemp regulation will not be voted on until 2008/09. The reform of the Swiss hemp policy has not been achieved. There is no explanation for the Fribourg authorities suddenly choosing this unnecessarily repressive act.

Switzerland is well known for its tradition of socially acceptable compromise and great respect of human and civil rights. André Fürst was arrested on Sunday without recourse to legal advice and on a flimsy pretext. This zero tolerance style of policing, directly inspired by the USA, is not an acceptable way to threaten a Swiss citizen.

We advocate André Fürst’s liberation and justice for hemp manufacturers.